Saturday, May 28, 2016

Ruby turned six today.My first grandchild.Naturally, I've been remembering the day she was born.All four grandparents-to-be were hanging out all week at a Berkeley bed
and breakfast; Emily’s waters had broken and she didn’t go into actual
labor for a number of days.Such a rite
of passage, of course for the baby and for her parents, but for all of us. For Barry and me particularly, being first-time
grandparents.I hadn’t thought about it that
way until this morning. Becoming a grandparent is not something we usually ritualize or
commemorate; we aren’t the point, after all.The child and the parents are the point.I can remember when I visited my parents with Max, my firstborn, for the first
time.I felt that my mother finally treated me
as an adult, even though I was 26 years old.

It’s not necessarily about being an elder, either, as many
become grandparents at a much younger age than we did. But what becoming a
grandparent truly offers is an invitation to become Grand.My etymology dictionary says that grand comes
from the Latin “grandis,” meaning “big, great, full, abundant,” and connoting
“noble, sublime, lofty, dignity.”That’s
a lot to live up to.

We all know the benefits of grandparenthood – having the fun
without having to be the disciplinarian or having the 24/7
responsibilities.It’s just a matter of holding
a heart full of love 24/7.

Here is my SoulCollage® card I call “The Grand Mother.”A grandmother is connected to the Grand
Mother, She who holds the world in her arms.This isn’t big news or a fabulous insight on my part; only an
acknowledgement of what this precious child (and her little sister and cousin)
have given me and a reminder of what my job is.

Shortly after Ruby was born, this poem came.It makes me happy to remember it today.